2025, Vol., No.56

A Study on the Patterns of Selecting Lee Gyu-Bo's Chinese Poems for Dongmunseon

LEE HEE YOUNG | 2025, (56) | pp.5~36 | number of Cited : 0

The Literary Representation of Scenic Site Travels by Kim Taek-sul, a Confucian Scholar in Modern North Jeolla

kim, mi-sun | 2025, (56) | pp.37~68 | number of Cited : 0

This study explores the scenic site travels and literary representations of Kim Taek-sul, aiming to shed light on the travels of Confucian scholars in modern and contemporary Korea. Chapter 2 explores the records and literary works related to Kim Taek-sul’s journeys. He traveled to Hwayang-dong in 1922, Mt. Geumgang in 1930, and Mt. Jiri in 1934, leaving behind travelogues titled Travel Record of Hwayang-dong(Hwayangdong Yurok), Travel Record of Mt. Geumgang(Geumgangsan Yurok), and Travel Record of Mt. Jiri(Duryusan Yurok), along with a total of 58 classical Chinese poems(han-si) inspired by these trips. The number of poems per destination was 6 for Hwayang-dong, 20 for Mt. Geumgang, and 32 for Mt. Jiri. In Chapter 3, the study examines the characteristics of literary representation for each scenic site. Hwayang-dong, known as a place associated with Song Si-yeol, a renowned Confucian scholar of the late Joseon dynasty, is depicted in Travel Record of Hwayang-dong(Hwayangdong Yurok) and the accompanying Chinese poems with a strong focus on the author's reverence for Song Si-yeol. Mt. Geumgang, regarded as the foremost scenic site on the Korean Peninsula, drew Kim Taek-sul’s active engagement at each location during his journey. As a result, the Travel Record of Mt. Geumgang(Geumgangsan Yurok) contains the most extensive content among the three travelogues, encompassing a wide range of themes. Mt. Jiri, situated across the Honam(Jeolla) and Yeongnam(Gyeongsang) regions, is portrayed with a broadened spatial and experiential scope. On his way to Mt. Jiri, Kim Taek-sul visited nearby areas such as Hunmongjae in Sunchang, met relatives, and performed ancestral rites. This expansion of experience is reflected in the Travel Record of Mt. Jiri(Duryusan Yurok). Moreover, in his Chinese poetry, Kim expressed a desire to perceive the Confucian virtues of wisdom(智) and benevolence(仁) through his journey. The significance of Kim Taek-sul’s travel literature on scenic sites can be summarized in three aspects. First, his writings demonstrate how the tradition of scenic site travel from the Joseon dynasty continued into the modern era, particularly during the Japanese colonial period. Second, they contribute to the discovery and reassessment of various travel literature works from modern and contemporary Korea. Third, because both travel diaries and classical Chinese poems are preserved, his works allow for a more multidimensional interpretation of travel literature.

A Study on the Nature Poetry of Gobong Gi Dae-seung

kimjinwook | 2025, (56) | pp.69~92 | number of Cited : 0

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the philosophical background, aesthetic consciousness, and stylistic features of the nature poetry of Gobong Gi Dae-seung (1527–1572), a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar and poet of the mid-Joseon period. As a leading proponent of juriron (the theory of the primacy of principle), influenced deeply by Toegye Yi Hwang, Gobong viewed poetry not merely as a medium of emotional expression, but as an extension of moral practice and self-cultivation. His nature poems go beyond simple descriptions of sensory beauty, aiming instead to facilitate an encounter with dao (道) and to foster introspection into the human condition. The study first examines Gobong's conception of nature, revealing that he regarded it not merely as an external landscape but as a philosophical mirror for moral awakening and self-perfection. Grounded in the Neo-Confucian worldview that posits the universal presence of li (理, principle) in all things, Gobong interpreted nature as a vital site for ethical reflection. Natural elements such as plum blossoms, bamboo, and lofty mountains are recurrent symbols in his poetry, embodying Neo-Confucian virtues like integrity, humility, and purity. These motifs reflect Gobong’s continuity with Toegye’s poetic tradition and offer insight into the philosophical depth of his poetic world. The paper then analyzes Gobong’s aesthetic sensibility as manifested in his poetic language. His works balance emotional delicacy with Confucian restraint, achieving a poetic embodiment of the Confucian ideals of moderation (jungyong) and purity (cheongjeong). Gobong’s nature in Gobong’s poetry functions not merely as an object of depiction but as a medium through which the poet’s inner emotions and moral contemplation are expressed. His poems evoke a serene and refined atmosphere, conveying both ethical resonance and emotional tranquility to the reader. Finally, the paper explores the stylistic characteristics of Gobong’s nature poetry through close readings of representative lines and poems. Eschewing ornate rhetoric, Gobong employed concise and measured language to capture the essence of nature. His poetic imagery is intimately connected to his inner landscape, illustrating the integration of nature, humanity, and literature into a cohesive, organic whole. Through this synthesis, Gobong created a poetic world that transcends the boundary between philosophy and poetics. Nature poetry, thus, stands as the most distinctive and revealing genre of his literary and intellectual identity.

A Study on Han Jun-gyeom’s Use of Poetry as a Means of Governance and the Characteristics of Hamsansipgok

Kim, Seung-u | 2025, (56) | pp.93~133 | number of Cited : 0

This study examines how Han Jun-gyeom actively employed poetry (siga) during his tenure as Governor of Hamgyeong Province, both to enlighten the people and to extol the founding achievements of the Joseon dynasty. Appointed amid the political instability following the Japanese invasions, Han was tasked with restoring war-torn territories, reinforcing northern defenses, and reuniting a divided populace. To that end, he made broad use of poetry as a tool of moral and ideological governance. His poetic agenda can be broadly categorized into two aims: the promotion of Confucian ideals and the reinforcement of clan-based social order, and the affirmation of the historical and symbolic importance of the northern region, especially Hamgyeong. Two key examples embodying these aims are Oryunbeopgok, which encouraged the practice of the Five Confucian Relationships (oryun), and an abridged and vernacularized version of Yongbieocheonga, which he distributed throughout the region. Another representative work that exemplifies Han’s literary strategy is Hamsansipgok. Like the abridged Yongbieocheonga, this ten-part poetic sequence sought to elevate the symbolic stature of Hamheung. Han selected ten prominent locations within the city, composing one quatrain of eight-character lines for each, pairing them to form five thematic groups. Each pair of poems share lexical and syntactic structures, emphasizing cohesion and resonance. The first and second poems commemorate royal sites to underscore Hamheung as the land of dynastic origin. The third and fourth highlight martial episodes from King Taejo’s youth and adulthood. The fifth and sixth reflect Han’s own political role, illustrating the harmony of civil and military governance. The seventh and eighth describe grand architectural structures, capturing the regional atmosphere and scenery. The final two poems depict everyday landscapes imbued with lyrical sentiment. Through its organization around five thematic axes—"royal origin," "martial legacy," "civil-military order," "architectural grandeur," and "scenic sentiment"—Hamsansipgok integrates symbolic memory and emotional texture. The work thus stands as a refined example of Han Jun-gyeom’s fusion of poetic insight and Confucian statecraft.

A Study on Kim Yak-ryeon's 『Gameun-rok(感恩錄)』

Hu, Xiaoyun | 2025, (56) | pp.135~166 | number of Cited : 0

This paper analyzes the poetic aspects and significance of the Chinese poetry of Kim Yak-ryeon, focusing on his collection of poems written during exile, 󰡔Gameun-rok(感恩錄)󰡕. This work, previously overlooked in existing research, is the central focus. First, before delving into the main discussion, this paper provides an overview of the current status of Kim Yak-ryeon's entire body of Chinese poetry. Quantitatively, his complete poetic works are relatively few. Additionally, Kim Yak-ryeon preferred writing long poems (五言排律) and thematically focused on events, dates, and figures of personal significance, completely eschewing works on topics like "singing about the wind and moonlight((吟風詠月)", or "singing about things(詠物)". The 󰡔Gameun-rok󰡕(感恩錄)󰡕 originally existed as a separate volume, and its primary purpose was to narrate the full story of his exile and praise the king's grace. The first characteristic of the poems in 󰡔Gameun-rok(感恩錄)󰡕 is the strong projection of Kim Yak-ryeon's loyalty and filial piety(忠孝意識). The works included here were composed before the "Jeon(傳,biography)" works that have received attention in previous research on Kim Yak-ryeon. These poems are significant because they demonstrate that his sense of loyalty and filial piety later expanded into a fervent loyalty and filial devotion(忠孝烈) in the subsequently composed "Jeon" works. Second, in 󰡔Gameun-rok󰡕(感恩錄)󰡕, Kim Yak-ryeon used a narrative method that transcended the boundary between two spaces: dreams and reality. This can be understood as an attempt to maximize and convey his emotions to readers through short poetic lines. Third, the poems in 󰡔Gameun-rok󰡕(感恩錄)󰡕 reveal a reverence for 󰡔Mencius(孟子)󰡕, and he even adopted the question-and-answer style of 󰡔Mencius(孟子)󰡕 into his Chinese poems. The former indicates that Kim Yak-ryeon regarded 󰡔Mencius(孟子)󰡕 as a source of spiritual support and a solution to his reality, seeking to alleviate the pain of exile and preserve his identity as a Confucian scholar(士大夫). The latter shows that the question-and-answer style of 󰡔Mencius(孟子)󰡕 allowed him to implement dialogue in his poems, realistically describing an event while adding tension to the scene. Fourth, the poems in 󰡔Gameun-rok󰡕(感恩錄)󰡕 are characterized by their unusually long titles and the inclusion of explanations about the form and number of the poems. This was a conscious act recognizing the existence of readers and utilizing titles as a device to contain information. This helped him reduce the distance from the reader and more easily convey the thoughts and emotions within the works. Furthermore, the distinctive characteristics of the titles in 󰡔Gameun-rok󰡕(感恩錄)󰡕 are not commonly found in his other Chinese poems, suggesting that Kim Yak-ryeon wanted to share his unusual experience of exile and the various thoughts that arose from it with others.

The Multilayered Aspects of Old-fashioned Women in the Modern Transition Period – Focusing on Sigol Yeoseong Seorun Sajung Bom Gada

박영주 | 2025, (56) | pp.167~201 | number of Cited : 0

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The Studies in Korean Poetry and Culture 2024 KCI Impact Factor : 0.67

2025, Vol., No.56